


Gathering Family

by Alisanne



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-01-17
Updated: 2009-01-17
Packaged: 2018-02-09 01:53:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1964475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alisanne/pseuds/Alisanne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Molly isn't one to meddle, really. It's just that sometimes she knows best.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Gathering Family

**Title:** Gathering Family  
 **Author:** [](http://alisanne.insanejournal.com/profile)[**alisanne**](http://alisanne.insanejournal.com/)  
 **Rating:** G  
 **Pairings:** Neville Longbottom/Bill Weasley, Severus Snape/Harry Potter, Ron Weasley/Hermione Granger, various others.  
 **Summary:** Molly isn't one to meddle, really. It's just that sometimes she knows best.  
 **Word Count:** ~1300  
 **Genre:** Humor, romance  
 **Warnings:** Um, meddling MIL?  
 **A/N:** Written for Unbroken_halo's birthday.  
 **Betas:** [](http://eeyore9990.insanejournal.com/profile)[**eeyore9990**](http://eeyore9990.insanejournal.com/) and [](http://sevfan.insanejournal.com/profile)[](http://sevfan.insanejournal.com/)**sevfan**  
 **Disclaimer:** The characters contained herein are not mine. No money is being made from this fiction, which is presented for entertainment purposes only.

  
[prompts words: _patience, confusion, escape, open, war, lost, dust, silver, unforgivable, faith, cover, shade, sky, middles, fall, never, yesterday, hatred, writing, talk, black, work, mad._ ]

~

Gathering Family

~

“I think you just need to have patience, dear. They are all adults and they can work it out for themselves.”

Molly only just refrained from rolling her eyes. Arthur meant well, she knew he did, but he wouldn’t care if all of their children remained single forever. She wanted grandchildren, dammit!

Ron and Hermione were ‘taking their time’. Molly didn’t approve of Hermione’s wanting a career before children, but she was careful to keep her advice to herself. The last place she wanted to be was in the middle of their marriage as she doubted her opinion would be well received.

Charlie refused to even answer her Floos anymore unless she promised not to talk about him getting married; George was still grieving, although she had hopes for him and Verity; Percy was... She grimaced. He was definitely on the career track. She’d stand a better chance of setting him up with the Minister himself.

She sighed. Much to her chagrin, even Ginny and Harry had broken up: Harry to ‘apprentice’ to Snape of all people -- and she had her suspicions about _that_ relationship -- Ginny to pursue a career as Seeker for the Harpies.

And then there was Bill. She’d thought he’d been all set. Married to Fleur, ready to produce tons of children, and then that _bitch_ had decided to run off with some silver-tongued wizard, committing the unforgivable sin of leaving her Bill all alone and with a broken heart. Molly’d only ever had hatred in her heart for one person, Bellatrix Lestrange, but, Fleur came a close second.

It seemed like just yesterday when she’d been poised to have babies to pamper, and now it was as if all her children had lost their way, but she would steer them right.

Arthur was looking at her, expecting an answer, so she gave him one. “You’re right,” she said, smiling sweetly.

Arthur sighed. “Fine, but whatever you’re planning, don’t tell me about it,” he said, shaking his head. “That way I can plead ignorance.”

Molly smiled and patted him on the arm. “Maybe that’s for the best, dear. Cuts down on the confusion.”

Chuckling, Arthur made his escape to the shed while Molly continued to plot.

~

The flower shop was her first stop. “Neville, hello,” Molly chirped, smiling at the unassuming young man facing her from across the work counter.

“Hullo, Mrs. Weasley.”

“Oh, you can call me Molly, dear.” _And perhaps one day you’ll call me something else, like Mum._

Neville blushed. “Oh, um, all right, M-Molly.” He shook his head. “Sorry, it just seems disrespectful.”

Molly smiled. “That’s fine, whatever you’re comfortable with,” she said, adding politeness to Neville’s list of attributes. “I came by to see if you could help me with my garden. You’re quite the plant expert I hear, and our place could use some sprucing up.”

When Molly left a few minutes later, having secured in writing Neville’s services for Saturday afternoon, she smiled. Now she just had one or two things to arrange and her plan would fall into place.

The next stop, Harpies headquarters, secured Ginny’s agreement to come home on Saturday, and all day Molly’s luck held. Bill agreed to come, as did George, Verity -- Molly prided herself on the way she’d persuaded George to invite her -- and even Harry and Snape. Molly wasn’t sure what she’d do with Snape, but she was sure she’d find something. By evening, Molly was tired, but grinning. “We’re having visitors Saturday,” she told Arthur.

He held up a hand. “I don’t want to know what madness you’re planning,” he reminded her.

Molly held her tongue. He would see when all her children were living in married bliss.

~

Neville arrived first.

“Hello, dear!” Molly directed him towards the backyard, and as he worked under a cloudless blue sky, she kept casting surreptitious Warming Charms at him. By afternoon, he was shirtless, shoulders and arms glistening in the sun. Molly was getting a bit heated herself as she watched him. Licking her lips, she contemplated dragging Arthur off for a bit of slap and tickle, but then Ginny arrived, and she lost her chance.

After hugging her, Molly pointed Ginny towards the yard. “Neville’s here,” she said brightly. “Why don’t you say hello?”

Ginny frowned. “I thought you liked the garden the way it was,” she said.

“We decided it’s time we did something with it,” Molly said. “Isn’t that right, Arthur?”

Arthur simply smiled and nodded his head.

“Yeah, okay,” Ginny said, looking away from Molly. “Hullo, Dad!” And as they settled into a comfortable conversation, Ginny proceeded to resist all of Molly’s efforts to get her outside to talk to Neville.

Bill arrived a few minutes later, followed in short order by George, Verity, Percy -- Molly hadn’t been sure he’d take time off to come home, but apparently Saturday was a slow day at the Ministry -- Harry and Snape. Ron and Hermione arrived last, having brought a strange blonde girl with them, Luna.

After an hour, Molly began despairing of Ginny ever going outside to rescue Neville. “Er, could you go and check on Neville, Ginny?” she tried during a lull in the strangely intimate conversation Ginny had struck up with Verity.

Unfortunately, Bill chose that moment to be chivalrous. “I’ll go, Mum,” he offered. “And I’ll see if he wants to stay for dinner.”

“I think Ginny should do it--” But Bill was already gone, and as Molly watched through the window, Bill knelt down next to Neville and began helping him pull weeds. With a sigh, she turned away, surveying the room in the hopes that the rest of her plan was working.

She bit her lip. Snape and Harry were in the corner, and the location of Harry’s hand high on Snape’s black-clad thigh proclaimed to all the state of _that_ relationship. Luna was practically on George’s lap, Ron and Hermione were arguing, and Percy had Flooed the Ministry _again_ and was speaking to Kingsley. Catching the look of adoration on his face, Molly sighed. No grandchildren from that source, then.

“Ready to eat dinner now?” Arthur whispered, having snuck up on her.

Upset, Molly turned to look at him. “But, Arthur, it’s all gone so wrong...”

Arthur smiled and wrapped an arm about her shoulders. “Has it really, Mollywobbles?” he asked softly. “Don’t you see what I see?”

“What do you mean? No one is with who I thought they’d be with.”

“Ah, have faith. Before you cause a dust-up, look and see how happy everyone is.”

Blinking, Molly looked again, this time noting how George was smiling at Luna, how relaxed Ginny was as Verity reached up and tucked a stray bit of hair behind her ear, how even Snape seemed pleased and more social than she’d ever seen him. And Harry...his smile was practically incandescent. They all looked more content than she’d seen them since the war.

“Oh my,” she breathed. Spinning to look outside once more, she shook her head as she spotted Bill and Neville, their hands clasped, sitting under cover of the shaded porch and talking, garden gnomes scampering unnoticed around them. A smile crossed her face. “Right,” she proclaimed. “Dinner, everyone!”

 

Neville and Bill came in from the garden and sat together, and all the other couples sat in formation. With Arthur at the other end of the table, her family gathered about, Molly’s eyes finally opened. She raised her glass. “Here’s to family!”

Food and talk flowed freely, and yet, as she entertained, Molly still plotted. _Surely Severus can come up with a Pregnancy Potion. He’s brilliant. I’ll get my grandchildren yet._

~


End file.
